Earth pushing and distributing machine.



I. 0. SMITH.

EARTH PUSHING AND DISTRIBUTING MACHINE.

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1,032,031 Patented July 9, 1912.

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F. 0. SMITH.

EARTH PUSHING AND DISTRIBUTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 29. 1911.

1,032,031, Patented July 9, 1912.

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M M464, f /4//44 W7 1 FRANK 0.

SMITH, OF STEELE, NORTH DAKOTA.

EARTH PUSHING AND DISTRIBUTING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July9, 1912.

Application filed April 29, 1911. Serial No. 624,188.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANK 0. SMITH, a citizenof the United States, residing at Steele, in the county of Kidder andState of North Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Earth Pushing and Distributing Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in earth pushing and distributingmachines, and has for its object to provide an improved machine whichcan be conveniently manipulated to scrape, shove and distribute earthalong the shores of ponds or the edges of holes, or at other places overwhich the draft horses cannot be driven.

To this end the invention consists in the construction, combination, andarrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, Figure1 is a perspective view of the machine with some parts broken away; Fig.2 is a detail of the bearings for the carrying wheels; Fig. 3 is a sideview of the machine, with some parts broken away, showing the earthscraper and pusher in lowered position; Fig. 4 is a similar view, butshowing the earth scraper and pusher in raised position; and Fig. 5 is aplan view of the rear end of the machine showing the connections for thedraft horses.

In the drawings A represents a pole which runs the length of themachine. At its forward end is a cross-bar 2 which carries a pusher andscraper plate 3, which is preferably dished forwardly near its lower orcutting edge. The cross-bar is bolted at its middle point to the poleand at each end to one or both of the forwardly diverging brackets orbraces 4. and 5, which at their other ends are secured to the sides ofthe pole.

Fulcrumed at 7 upon the outer bracket 4L on each side of the machine isa bell crank 8. The rearward arms of these bell cranks are pivotallyconnected with the yoke arms 9 of a link 9, which is pivotally connectedwith an operating lever 10. This lever is pivotally supported upon thepole A at 11, in a position where it can be operated by the driver fromhis seat B. It is held in adjusted positions by means of a rack 12 withwhich it is engageable. The forward arm of each bell crank is pivotallyconnected with-a collar 13 upon one of the vertical crank arms 14: of arock shaft C, which extends transversely across the machine. The crankarms 14 of the rock shaft terminate at the bottom in laterallyprojecting jaws or bifurcated portions 15, which constitute upper andlower bearings for the pins 16 upon the ends of the axle bars 17, sothat the axle bars swing upon a vertical axis.

The axle bars have laterally projecting hori-- zontal axle pins 18 uponwhich are jour naled the carrying wheels 19.

At their rear ends the axle bars 17 are pivotally connected with asteering frame D which extends across the machine. Upon this frame ispivotally supported at 21 a steering bar 22, which terminates at therear in a handle operable by the driver from his seat, and which at itsforward end is pivotally connected by means of slot and pin connectionwith a collar 2a upon the rock shaft 0. The pivotal connections 21 and23 permit the steering bar 22 to be swung in a horizontal plane, whilethe slot and pin connection 23 permits the rock shaft C to turn upon ahorizontal axis. The rock shaft G is also pivotally connected with theforward end of the pole A by means of braces 25, these braces beingsleeved over the rock shaft C, so as to permit the same to be rockedupon a horizontal axis.

At the rear end of the pole is a wheel 26 which has swivel support 27 inthe bracket 28. Also having swivel support in this bracket upon thevertical pin 29 is an evener bar 30, in each arm of which is a swivelingswingle tree 31. Thus these swingle trees can be turned through an angleof 180 degrees, to permit the horses to draw the machine backward orforward, according to the necessities of the case.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that the carrying wheels19 are supported in the vertical crank arms of the rock shaft C, so thatwhen the rock shaft is turned, its bearing jaws 15, and the axle 18supported in them, will also be turned in the arc of a circle. And thisis true whether the rock shaft is turned by raising the steering bar 22;or by turning the bell crank on its fulcrum 7 so as to exert a pull uponthe lower ends of the crank arms 14- through the medium of the collar13. It will alsobe seen that by pivotally connecting the rear ends ofthe axle bars 17 with the steering frame D, the axle bars, andconsequently the wheels, will be turned by swinging the steering arm toone side or the other on its pivot 23.

In use, when the parts are in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 3, withthe lever 10 thrust forward, the pusher plate will stand in loweredposition, and the crank arms 1 1 of the rock shaft C will be vertical.in order to raise the pusher plate from the ground, the lever 10 isdrawn back into the position shown in Fig. 4. When so drawn back it willpull upon the rear arms of the bell cranks and turn the bell cranks upontheir fulcrums 7. The forward arms of the bell cranks acting upon thelower ends of the crank arms lt of the rock shaft will pull these armsrearwardly, and turn the rock shaft so that the crank arms 14 will betilted into the position shown in Fig. &, whereby the pusher plate willbe raised with reference to the wheels. The axle bars 17 and steeringframe D will of course be rocked with the rock shaft, this beingpermitted by the slot and pin connection 23 between the steering bar androck shaft.

"When it is desired to direct the pusher plate to one side or the other,it is only necessary to swing the steering bar 22 to one side or theother, according to the direction desired, for when the steering bar isswung it will carry with it the steering frame D and turn the axle bars17 in the bearing jaws 15, the bar 22 swinging upon its pivotalconnection 23 wit-h the rock shaft, and the wheels 19 turning with theaxle bars.

It will be understood that in the operation of pushing and distributingthe earth the horses will be headed toward the forward end of themachine, the evener bars above described permitting this, so that, whiledrawing the machine forward, they will be behind the scraper plate,which will thus be pushed ahead against the earth to be handled, so thatthe earth can be pushed right up to the edge of a pond or hole, and intothe same, without turning the horses or driving them along the edge.When the machine is to be drawn away from the scene of operations, theswingle tree of each horse can be turned about'separately as illustratedin the dotted lines in Fig. 5, to bring the horses to face in theopposite direction, so that they can draw the machine back to begin theoperation anew, or to draw it home.

In the claims I have used the term frame to designate the stationary orsupporting part of the machine structure, including the pole A, thecross-bar 2, and the brackets 4t and 5.

I claim as my invention:

1. An earth distributing machine com prising a frame having at itsforward end a pusher plate, a rock shaft extending transversely acrossand above the frame and having downwardly extending crank arms, saidarms terminating in laterally projecting vertically spaced jaws, axlebars having vertical pivotal support in said jaws, carrying wheels journaled upon the outer sides of said axle bars, and steering mechanismsup ported upon the frame and operatively connected with said axle bars,whereby to swing them in unison.

2. An earth distributingmachinecompris ing a frame having at its forwardend a pusher plate, a rock shaft supported above the frame at theforward end thereof and extending transversely across the same, saidrock shaft having downwardly extending crank arms, wheels carried uponsaid arms, a pair of bell crank levers fulcrumed upon the frame andconnected at their forward ends with the rock shaft, and means carriedby the frame and operatively connected with the rear ends of the bellcranks for turning said bell cranks, whereby to 'turn the rock shaft.

3. An earth distributing machine comprising a frame having at itsforward end a pusher plate, a rock shaft extending transversely acrossthe frame and above the same, said rock shaft having downwardlyextending crank arms, axle bars rotatable upon a vertical axis in theends of said crank arms and wheels journaled thereon, a steering frameextending across the machine and pivotally connected with said axlebars, whereby the axle bars can be swung from side to side, and anoperating lever pivotally connected with the rock shaft, whereby therock shaft can be turned to raise or lower the wheels.

1. An earth distributing machine comprising a frame having at itsforward end a pusher plate, a rock shaft supported above the frame andextending transversely across the same, said rock shaft havingdownwardly extending crank arms, axle bars rotatable upon a verticalaxis in said crank arms and having laterally projecting axles, wheelsjournaled' upon said axles, a steering frame pivotally connected withsaid axle bars, a steering bar having sliding pivotal connection withthe rock shaft and pivotal connection with the steering frame, and meansfor turning the rock shaft.

5. An earth distributing machine comprising a frame having at itsforward end a. pusher plate, a rock shaft supported above the frame atthe forward end thereof and tween the operating lever and the rear endsextending transversely across the same, said of the bell cranks. 10 rockshaft having downwardly extending In testimony whereof I aflix mysignature crank arms, wheels carried upon the lower in presence of twowitnesses.

ends of said arms, a pair of hell crank levers I FRANK O. SMITI-Lfulcrumed upon the frame and connected Witnesses: I

at their forward ends with the rock shaft ARTHUR P. LOTHROP an operatinglever, and link-connection be- H. SMITH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

